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Vampire Survivors is an auto battler mixed with a roguelike done in such a way that upon first glance, it wouldn't look as though the game has much to offer. But as most of these games go, you discover the depth this game actually has as you spend more time on it. And while people may be turned off by the retro style graphics, I would highly recommend not to let that effect whether you pick this game up or not. I've not only purchased this game on Steam originally when it was around $1, it also got released on Game Pass, and naturally I picked that up as well. I had to put off progressing on my PC version of Vampire Survivors due to my laptop sort of crapping out on me, so my main source of gaming is my Xbox. And only recently this game hit Game Pass as I mentioned before so there was a bit of a gap with my progression of the game.

As a result of there being a gap in between the first time I played this and the 2nd time, a lot has changed with the game, adding in features that are simply quality of life changes, but we're much needed from its original state. Not to say the original state was bad by any means, there was just definitely more space to grow. I mean, in fairness the game started in early access on Steam so to even see it on Game Pass is excellent on its own merits.

Vampire Survivors as I said before is an auto battler mixed with a roguelike. So, much like Despot's Game, you don't have much control over how you attack enemies, however the depth truly reveals itself once you discover the various items you can use and unlock as well as items that work with other items to progress through each run. In other words, the game comes jam packed with synergies that you get to discover over time. Being one of the most fun parts of a roguelike. And such that, I won't really go into any detail that would reveal any synergies or items because most of the fun is figuring it our on your own. The nice thing is, it's not super obvious at the start what you're supposed to do, and hell, even after many hours of playtime, it still isn't incredibly obvious. You go 30 minutes through each run, collecting experience and unlocking items along the way. It just does so by also taking out the need for having to aim your weapon and having to worry about where you're shooting etc etc. Not that that's a bad thing to have to aim with your mouse or joystick, but it's nice when the game doesn't need it and builds itself around that.

As far as the retro style goes, I actually find that it adds to the games charm, because as much as it looks like there isn't a whole lot going on, I want to reiterate that there really is a lot of depth. And while I've probably put in about 20 hours of playtime on my Xbox alone, no run has been the same, and I continue to unlock items and achievements and eventually will unlock everything. And the whole 30 minutes thing is also not the worst thing in the world when so many other roguelikes have runs that could go for an hour or two. Nice to have a roguelike that is there for when you just want to spend a little time making some progress. It just helps tremendously that the game is also very very good.

The reason I also briefly stated that this is my favorite roguelike since Dead Cells, despite having many good experiences with roguelikes in general between these two releases, is simply down to the fact that I find myself wanting to jump back in over and over and over again. Whether it's due to the fact that I know I really only need to set aside a half hour of my time, or it's the fact that I know I still have quite a bit to unlock despite playing for a long time, whatever it is, it's gotten me under the same spell that Dead Cells had until that game evolved so much to where it can feel like a bit of a slog to go through. I still love Dead Cells dearly but it's definitely evolved a lot since it's initial release. Typical runs can take a little bit over an hour now, and I generally lose focus if a run isn't going the best way. It can be a toss up but that's what ultimately makes roguelikes so much fun to play.

The whole auto battler genre has been seeing a lot of attention lately, and I honestly think Vampire Survivors has done it the best, however I know that there are others that do it just as well. I mean, it seems like we have a new one releasing every other week. But, if my memory serves me right, this is also what happened when roguelikes got really big. Same with battle royale, and now it seems to be the case with auto battlers. I'm all for it though as long as they follow the same trend that Vampire Survivors has now undoubtedly set.

As the runs typically go pretty quick, I don't really know how many runs I have done altogether in my time playing the game, but I want to mention again that none of the runs have felt the same. that could again just simply be due to that I don't have a lot unlocked right now, or I just haven't seen a lot of the synergies, but I have seen how many items are available to unlock, so it may be quite some time before I feel like any two runs feel the same. I do have quite a few favorite synergies already, but again, I will refrain from spoiling anything. Much like Binding of Isaac, there are some runs where you will feel completely overpowered and invincible, and other times you'll feel like you're weaker than dirt. Never seems to take away from the experience as a whole though. I tend to always have a good time, despite the game feeling somewhat difficult at times.

I've only really mentioned the items and the synergies, but I'd also like to talk about the fact that even though I've unlocked about 15 different characters, whom all come with their own unique starting items and abilities, knowing what I know of the game, I know I have not even scratched the surface as far as character unlocks go. I don't actually know how many characters there are to unlock, but I know that each come with their own requirements in order to unlock them. And again, I try not to look up how to do so as I love the randomness of what you unlock after each run.

This game comes with my highest recommendation as I know it will get a lot of flack for how it looks on the outside. But if you're like me and you prefer experiences over graphics, Vampire Survivors is a must play. Hell, any auto battler is worth playing. They're all fun and come with their own unique quirks to provide their own unique experiences. I've not played many of them, hell Vampire Survivors may only be one of two that I have played, so I've got a lot of homework to do. If Vampire Survivors is a good look at the genre as a whole, well, I'm excited to continue checking out this genre as it evolves over time.